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Lurker
Lurkers (Russian: Кикимора - Kikimorah) are a pack-based species of burrowing mutant revered by players as being both an incredibly annoying and unnerving foe. Overview Lurkers are small dog like creatures that share similarities with watchmen. They are very fast and tend to jump up from holes in the ground and launch themselves at threats or food. They often show up in packs of one to three at a time, even if more are in the area. Lurkers are mostly scavengers that press in upon carcasses, and rarely hunt live prey. They have almost pink skin and no bodily hair whatsoever. They also possess a second pair of eyes, which are very small and are probably useless as they appear to be milky white (a sign of blindness). Lurkers are suspected by many to be juvenile forms of watchers. There are notable visual similarities between the two, not simply physically, but behaviorally. This is evident in Defense, when a Lurker can be seen performing a rare start-combat animation, the watcher's trademark pose. However the Lurker's depiction in Metro Last Light, is radically different from its model in the previous game and no longer resembles that of a Watcher. Lurkers congregate in recently abandoned metro stations, feeding on the corpses of humans and mutants alike. They have "warrens", burrows that allow the lurkers to transit between holes as a means of flanking prey. The holes that they use are often (if not always) above lower rooms of the stations, indicating that their burrowing abilities aren't very good and that they prefer to use large, empty spaces to save them the trouble of digging a new warren. Lurkers tend to only attack lone humans as opposed to large groups, another behavioral trait of scavengers, such as when Artyom is making his way through Hole Station and carrying Sasha. Bourbon warns Artyom of this early in the game, when a lone lurker is seen fleeing before them. The lurkers of Metro: Last Light look completely different than their counterparts in Metro 2033. They have light brownish tan skin, a short neck with a pronounced droop, and a head that resembles a cross between a reptile's and an insect's with very small, beady eyes. This dramatic change may simply be attributed to artistic license, but it seems more likely that the name "lurker" is just a catch-all term for a number of mutant species, with the lurkers of 2033 being relatives of Watchmen, and the lurkers of Last Light being a completely unrelated animal. Tactics Dealing with lurkers can be very easy or very annoying, it all depends on how the player approaches them. While individual lurkers can cause severe damage, lurkers frequently attack in groups at a time. After striking or missing contact, they will retreat into their holes. The player should remain cautious however, as they can come out of the holes behind Artyom at anytime. Moving into lurker territory with guns blazing is not recommended. Instead, trying to find a spot where there are no holes behind, like a solid corner or structure with one entrance, will guarantee better chance of survival. If Artyom moves into the middle of their territory, he will provoke them, if this happens, retreat to a safe spot. Doing this will force them to run squarely into the barrel of a revolver (or any other weapon), which can dispatch them with one shot to the head (an easy shot to make when they're running straight at Artyom). Shotguns are also a good choice, but only at Hardcore or Ranger difficulties where its stopping power is large enough so that Artyom can take them out at longer distances. Like most melee enemies, however, they tend to jump when they're close. That means the player might end up telling Artyom to pull the trigger just as they're flying over his line of fire. It should be noted that lurkers are the only mutants that are actually more dangerous in Ranger pack difficulties. Their normally modest damage is made much higher, and their mobility is their defense, so increased damage of Artyom's weaponry won't help as much. Because they attack fast and in groups, Artyom can be shredded in a matter of seconds. Similar tactics as used against librarians can be used against lurkers, as they usually don't come out of their holes if the player look at them, and tend to like to attack from the back. They often retreat if the player spot them while trying to sneak up from behind. This could be very useful when playing in ranger difficulties as they are much more powerful. It's advised to not rely completely on this however, as they might still come out and attack. When dealing with them in the area requiring a gas mask in Defense, it's best to provoke them and then retreat to an area with no gas (like at the top of the stairs). Otherwise they might seriously damage the player's mask. Lurkers will rarely appear out from a burrow the player is staring at, instead, milling about beneath, waiting for the player to look away, given away by the sounds of their movement and growls. A stick of dynamite down the warren (provided it doesn't fall too far down) will kill any lurkers nearby. As a final note, contrary to popular belief, there are no places in the game where Lurkers spawn indefinitely. Even in the first area of Child, they will eventually stop spawning (Artyom will need to kill somewhere in between 20 and 40 of them, however). Related Achievements Trivia * The name "Kikimorah" comes from name of Slavic mythology character. Kikimorah is described as a small humpbacked woman with a thin body and small head. * If you fall down a hole belonging to a lurker, you will hear the sound of gnawing on your body, shortly before you die. * According to the game developers, these monsters are truly navigating their way between their holes in the game, not just being placed in a random hole near Artyom. * Lurkers are the only mutants known to have been domesticated in any numbers. A performer at Theatre Station uses one in his show (though it is rather poorly trained or the creature itself is not suited for training for show), and Kuzmich owns a much smaller and more tame one that he allows to perch on his shoulder. *The metro 2033 version is used as baby watchmen in dead city in Metro 2033 redux. Gallery LurkerHowlerPose.jpg|Lurker as seen in Metro 2033, standing as a howler does. 2013-05-22_00022.jpg|Lurker in the Threatre Station as seen in Metro Last Light. 2013-05-22_00033.jpg|Ditto. 2013-08-08_00001.jpg|Kuzmich's lurker pup Category:Mutants Category:Chronicles Pack DLC